Counter Programming State of The Union

Joyce Vance Mar 5

I had plans to write a piece tonight that you could read instead of watching Trump talk. But it’s windy and stormy here, and we watched all the lights across the street blink out a little while ago, as the power went out on that side of our neighborhood. We are probably living on borrowed time here, so I thought that instead of writing the longer analysis I had planned, I would just share puppy pictures. It’s the perfect antidote for the unnecessary hate and provocative rhetoric Trump is sure to subject the country to tonight.

Remember to keep fighting the good fight. We are making progress—it may be slow, and sometimes it doesn’t feel fast enough, but there is protest and pushback, and that’s the start. Tonight, a federal judge in Maryland ruled that the Trump administration can’t withhold funds from hospitals that provide gender-transition treatment to transgender youths while that litigation works its way through the courts. Hate loses, at least for now.

Here’s Elsa with Bella.

The chickens aren’t entirely certain about what’s going on here. She seems to love chasing after them but has quickly picked up the cues from Bella, and Tofu, our Maine Coon Cat, that these are friends.

Hug someone you love tonight. It’s important that we face the reality of what Trump is trying to do to our country. We cannot afford to look away. Every lawsuit, every protest, every spotlight shined on the unconstitutional work DOGE is doing makes it more difficult for Trump to permanently damage our country. But make sure you find time to take care of yourself, too.

We’re in this together,

Joyce